Friday, 2 May 2014

To Be Read

Honestly, I don't think I'll ever have time to read everything on my mental to be read list. My phone is full of notes of the titles of books I've seen and thought about, my bookshelf is becoming increasingly full of titles I want to read and haven't got around to, and still I return to the same books over and over. Madness, I tell you.

However, I've made a sort-of resolution now that I can't buy any more books until I've read the ones I currently own and haven't yet read. I've made a shortlist of six books that are top of my to be read list at the moment. I might even take up Jenny's idea of a "to be read jar", and literally pull a name out of it.

I'm actually already about halfway through A Dance With Dragons: Dreams and Dust. It's taking me an awful lot longer than the previous Game of Thrones books though, potentially because it's been so long since I read the last one (while I was in Thailand last June) and I'm finding myself a wee bit befuddled about where we are in time. But hey- it's getting so damn good, I'm pretty sad that I've actually got to put it down so I can read...

... The Silent Wife for the Blogger Book Club! I'm so excited to get my nose stuck into this one this weekend- it's a little different to the sort of thing I usually read, and the Radio 2 Book Club made it sound amazing when they reviewed it way back when. If you're keen to get involved in the Book Club, please feel free- you can sign up here, and given that I'm only just getting around to reading it, you have plenty of time to zip through it before the chat on 20th May!

Taming Tigers is a bit of a funny one- it was given to me by a colleague, and I'm really interested to see what it's all about. I'm a sucker for this sort of book actually- I'm a big fan of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It would just be better if I actually employed the tactics, rather than just reading them, thinking "oh that's a good idea!" and forgetting all about it.

I picked up Cider with Rosie (the book, notthe blogger) and The Master and Margarita in my favourite second hand book shop in Cardiff. Both look great- I've been meaning to read The Master and Margarita since I was told that was the classic book I most closely resembled by a Facebook quiz back in the day. I've never quite been sure how to take that, given that the book is about the devil and Soviet Moscow, but hey...

I cheated. Rebecca is something I've read at least three times already, but I adore it. Can I use the excuse that it reminds me of my Nanna? It was her favourite book? Look at me being all conniving to get my way. Maybe I do represent a book about the devil... But anyway, it's fantastic, and if you haven't read it before I strongly suggest you do. All Cornish coasts and narrators whose names you never discover. Lovely stuff.

Anyway. Finally on the list is The Luminaries. You know how they say you should never read anything you wouldn't be proud of if you were to die in the middle of it? That's basically why I bought The Luminaries. Seriously- it looks great, if slightly baffling, and I'm not sure when I think I'm going to have time to read such a hefty beast of a book, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it if I ever get around to reading it.

So there we have it! A selection from my current "to be read" list. What's on yours at the moment? Give me some inspiration for when I'm allowed to buy books again!

6 comments:

I read The Silent Wife for the book club and I can't wait to see what you think of it. I've got The Luminaries on my 'to-read' list as well, hopefully I'll pick it up after I finish reading The Book Thief. x

I love peeking at other people's To Read lists! The Luminaries is on mine right now, but I'm currently reading Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales, which has been on my list since January. I finally got a library card this week so now I can take books home all the time (buying them is not really practical here since I'd have no way of bringing them home when I move back to Canada, really)!Also, I always have a massive To Read list as well and yet continue reading my old favorites over and over again. Oops!

Sounds like a great list, my TBR list on my phone gets longer and longer by the day, I say we need more time to read and less time to have to work! I think you wrote about A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks a while ago, for some reason the book seemed to stick in my memory so when I saw it in the library a week or so ago I picked it up, have nearly finished it and am really loving it. I'm also really interested in reading The Silent Wife, oh so many books, so little time!

I've not read any books by Daphne du Maurier yet, but I'd love to give it a go! I'm about to read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - it was a gift from the boyfriend. Just read Life After Life and thought it was brilliant!